The Creator of Minnesota’s Favorite Thanksgiving Dish has Died

With her flair for Midwestern cooking, you'd think Dorcas Reilly was born right here in Minnesota. Her common delicious yet frugal masterpiece touched hearts and tummies nationwide but was especially popular here.

But she wasn't born in the land that loved her Green Bean Casserole recipe, she was born Dorcas Lillian Bates on July 22, 1926, in Woodbury, N.J. (at least she has one of our suburbs in her past). I remember interviews with her over the years and how she'd say she was born into a family of cooks, so working for the Campbell Company's test kitchen was a natural fit.